Getting there

If arriving on an international flight, you’ll land at Augusto C. Sandino International Airport (MGA) in Managua. As well as flights from neighbouring capitals such as San José and San Salvador (served mainly by COPA and TACA), Managua receives direct flights from major US hubs Atlanta, Miami and Houston through Spirit Airlines, Continental, American Airlines and Delta.

You can enter Nicaragua by land from Honduras and Costa Rica. International buses pull into Managua, often via Granada and Rivas (if coming from the south); it’s also possible to take local services to and from the border. There is a water crossing from the border at Los Chiles, Costa Rica, to San Carlos; from here it is a five- to seven-hour bus ride or an hour-long plane ride on to Managua. It is also possible to cross from La Unión in El Salvador to Potosí in Nicaragua, either by arranging to cross with local fishermen, or with the passenger service Cruce del Golfo (crucedelgolfo.com).

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Land and sea routes to Nicaragua

Nicaragua shares borders with Costa Rica and Honduras. The busiest Nicaraguan land entry/exit point is at Peñas Blancas, on the southern border with Costa Rica. Los Chiles in Costa Rica provides a water crossing further east, to San Carlos on the Río San Juan. The two main border crossings with Honduras in the north, meanwhile, are at Guasaule and El Espino and Las Manos, with the latter providing the quickest access to Tegucigalpa.